


Operation: Red Talons

by JaxMandaro



Series: The Knights of Redwall [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Action/Adventure, Espionage, Gen, Magic, Original Character(s), Parody, Politics, Shounen, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:08:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23220736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaxMandaro/pseuds/JaxMandaro
Summary: The precursor story to the current timeline for the Knights of Redwall, Operation: Red Talons tells the story of a small band of Knights who set out to wage a psychological counter-intelligence campaign against the invading Garlean Empire. The tale begins in the Twelveswood, home to the forested City-State of Gridania, whom are losing ground against the Empire and their legion of snipers, spies, and agents. An up and coming Captain among the elite recon division within the City-State's military body, the Twin Adders, named Jaster Laenwyn, was recently given a fresh squad of scouts and one mission: Turn the Tide.
Series: The Knights of Redwall [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1669540
Kudos: 2





	1. Silent Wings

The God’s Quiver recruits found themselves changing out of their ceremonial garb and into their standard issue armor, adjusting the straps on their leather gambisons and tightening the laces on their cleat treated boots. The somewhat mildewy smell of their barracks permeated the air, a few of the recruits still coughing from the quality. It contrasted the open air thicket they found themselves in just an hour earlier, where they received their official promotion into the unit. 

“I wonder if we’re going to be assigned to the garrisons to start,” started one of the taller Elezen bowmen, as he tested the draw weight on his elm longbow. “I can’t see us being sent out into something very dangerous if we’re just starting out.” 

“It would be different, sure, but with the Twelveswood in the state it is, they may have promoted us so early for a reason.” continued another bowman, this one a blonde haired Hyur midlander. “From poachers to imperials, the roads aren’t as safe, and we’re losing ground and stability by the day.” He took his already tested bow and put it on his back, taking a moment to inspect his quiver of arrows. “We better be ready for anything, the Commanding Officer will not accept otherwise.”

An uncomfortable silence crept across the barracks, their fellow Quivermen quickening their pace to get ready. Within minutes, the doors to the barracks swing open as an intimidating, looming Elezen donned in a Lieutenant Twin Adder uniform strolled in, his footfalls as silent as a prowling big cat. “Attention!” He commanded, his voice booming across the wooden halls. “We have an SOS flare in the South Shroud, the Ixali are not present in the area, so be prepared for anything! We head out in five minutes.”

“Yes, sir!” The squadron replied immediately, snapping to attention with a Serpent salute, their arms folded over each other horizontally. The Lieutenant turned around and exited without a word, leaving the squadron alone with their thoughts. They scrambled around, gathering what they required before heading out the barracks. Their building was nestled in the woods near the Archer’s guild, meaning they had to cut across towards the Lancer’s guild, the canoes would be their way to the South Shroud and the party who released the emergency flare.

After the group rendevouz with their commanding officer, they silently crept their way down the jadeite flood using their natural flowing channels to quicken their journey. The large forest lake covered a good amount of land between the central and eastern shrouds, as well as The Lavender Beds. The forest itself created a canopy dense enough for the group to mask their travels from the popular routes, as there were also a fair amount of offset streams and tributaries that littered the Black Shroud. In a quarter of an hour, they crossed the jadeite flood and sailed for Buscaron’s Druthers, where they would be able to cross the South Shroud on foot towards the ruins of Amdapor, the closest point of interest from their destination. 

Slipping into the more dense part of the woods before getting to the settlement, the lancers took point, clearing the brush while the arches trailed behind, making sure the rest of the group stayed covered from an ambush. The lieutenant felt a buzz to his ear, and he switched to a secure channel before listening. He held up a fist, stopping the squadron from advancing before a small brook. “The forward scouts have narrowed down the location of the flare. It’s just west of Amdapor, it’s too abrupt to be poachers. A Red Otter squadron was last seen in the area shortly beforehand, according to the report. We’ll need to get a good vantage point before we get a game plan.” After a moment given for the rest of the group to give their affirmation of the plan, the signal to advance was given. 

The cold, brisk water ran near waist level to the squadron as they made their way down the brook, the waterway covering their scent as well as their tracks from the various forces that contended with the Grand Company for territory. The air was quiet, the usual bustle of birds and other small creatures was noticeably absent to the squad, their shoulders tense and their breath quickening. The tips of their spears almost cutting the weight of the moment as they cleared the water and made their way up a small ridgeline. One of the archers took out a pair of binoculars and handed it to the Lieutenant, who took a moment to crest the ridgeline just enough to gauge their surroundings. He sunk back below the bank, looking around to the others. “We have a hostage situation. It looks like most of the Otters are dead, an Imperial ambush.”  
“This close to Gridania?” Whispered a cadet, the grip around her spear tightened considerably, causing it to shake.

“Seems so, we’ll have to hit them hard and fast, I’ll take point, these guys are very dangerous. There are a decent group of them overlooking some a survivor, but they’ve already started executing prisoners.” the Lieutenant took a moment before drawing his own spear, and draping the mask of the God’s Quiver over his face. “Once we’ve drawn their attention, we’ll need covering fire, and keep an eye out for any snipers they may have under cover.” The rest of the squadron nodded, more than a few of them took a moment to breath, their eyes widening before taking back control. 

The signal from the Lieutenant was given, and he began creeping over the ridgeline with two of the more experienced lancers, making sure to utilize the underbrush as cover for as long as they could.As they made their advance, the archers made their way to the right side of the ridge in order to get a better vantage point. Within a few moments, the group was in position, and the lancers made their charge.  
It was twenty yalms at best from the edge of the meadow and the group of assailants and their live hostage. Despite that, the Lieutenant leapt the distance in a flash, jabbing for the center mass of the man in a centurion’s armor. The other two lancers were at his heels, although not at the speed of their commander, they covered his flanks and began advancing on the other man, a sturdy built masked man with a great axe. 

As the trio descended upon their prey, a clanging of steel could be heard from the woodline, causing the two rookies to hesitate and look back towards the rest of their squad, although the trees and brush kept them from view. They turned around to face the man with the axe, but he was nowhere in sight. Continuing to rotate their view, the spray of blood shot across from the Lieutenant, followed shortly by splintered chunks of wood. The elbow from the centurion ground the commander’s nose deep into his face as his limp figure hit the ground, the lance, now shattered, in his hand.  
The two rookie lancers trembled, their feet locking into stance uneasily as they readied themselves against their opponents. The one in front looked behind to the other for a moment, turning back only to realize that the man had closed the gap between them in the time between. As they locked eyes, the willful stare of the man behind the helmet bore deep into his mind. “It’s not my day…this is it.” Ran through the rookie’s mind uncontrollably, accompanied by a beading sweat across his brow and a parched throat. Seemingly looming over him, the Garlean smiled a wicked, wild grin that caused his knees to tremble and his spine to grow cold. The rookie continued to stand, but his shaking became visible, his breathing began spiraling into a fit as he began to lunge at the man, his spear barely staying in his hands.  
“Alright, that’s quite enough. I think you’ve made your point, Sergeant.” Came a voice, causing the two God’s Quiver lancers to jump, and the Garlean to lean back a bit from the one he was terrorizing. As the group began to regain their awareness, it became clear that it originated from behind them. As they looked past the assailant to find the source, the hostage began to shift around, their shoulders relaxing dramatically. With a spin of the wrists, he undid the bindings on his hands, allowing him to lift the mask over his head.  
Long, flowing red hair with blonde highlights poured from the mask, along with a rounded pair of feline ears upon the top of the man’s head. The man’s face wore a rugged, almost hollow expression, giving his ice blue eyes a deeply piercing quality to them, accentuated by arcing crimson tattoos across his face. Rubbing his wrists absentmindedly, he walked with a determined gait towards a nearby tree, reaching behind it to pull out a golden beret, emblazoned with an insignia bearing a soaring phoenix rising over a blood red wall. The Miqo’te swept back his hair before putting the beret over his head, continuing his calm, tempoed stroll towards the group. 

“Lieutenant Darius, it is good to see you in peak form…” The man looked down at the bloodied God’s Quiver officer, who had started to roll around in pain, consciousness rushing back to him. “Is this what you plan on teaching these new recruits? It seems God's Quiver is taking anyone now, these two wouldn’t even attack an Imperial if it meant their lives.” He cast a cold glare in their direction, causing them to reel back a few inches. He put a hand up to his ear, activating the small linkshell therein. “First Lieutenant, you two are clear, go ahead and break cover.”

The two God’s Quiver that remained turned around to look at the rusting of foliage to find two similarly dressed soldiers, one hauntingly silent Miqo’te, whose longbow was a few inches taller than herself, and a small Lalafell marauder. The latter gripping an axe menacingly as they led out the rest of the God’s Quiver squadron, bound in rope. 

Lieutenant Darius got to his feet, blood dripping from his face as his gaze locked with the auburn Miqo’te. “....Captain Laenwyn?!? What is the meaning of this?” He spat blood at his feet, obviously perturbed.

“The meaning?” Started the man, he took a cigar from the inside of his jacket, casting a small fire between his fingers before putting it to light. He inhaled a few times before continuing, his eyes never faltering against the taller Elezen. “It was a test, obviously. One that you and your new team failed, if I dare say. Your scouts were as effective as your lancers, and you were neutralized almost immediately. I wonder how the higher ups at the Adders Nest will feel when they see this on your yearly evaluation.” His voice was calm and flowing, accentuating the clouds of smoke that now passed through the thicket. 

One of the God’s Quiver lancers turned around to the other, sharing with him a bewildered look. “Who is that?” He questioned, not daring to make a sudden move around him or any of his subordinates; who now numbered just short of half a dozen. “Their insignia, I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before.”

“They’re Red Otters, I would guess an elite Forward Recon team.” Replied the other, stealing a peek at the leader of the disguised men once more. While the God’s Quiver specialized in defending the Twelveswood from outsiders, the Twin Adders sanctioned the Red Otters to aid in the endeavor as well. They were the Black Ops Division of the Grand Company, and they two intelligence agencies never mixed well. “This was a test? What kind of animals are these people? I’ve never seen the Lieutenant bested, let alone like this.”

Darius stumbled back a step to regain his composure. The anger and contempt flowing from him could be cut with a blade. “Attention! Men, this is Captain Laenwyn, leader of the Phoenix Strigodae. You would do well to stay away from them in the future.” He shifted his gaze to the other Miqo’te, who had landed the blow to his nose previously. The man smiled back at him in a wicked grin, taking off his helmet to reveal a fuzzy head of mossy green hair. A long jagged scar curved down the right side of his jawline, accentuating his pointed grin. 

“These God’s Quiver aren’t standing up to snuff, boss.” He began, darting his gaze over to the other two, causing them to flinch. “No wonder they’ve been adding more Otter teams to the Shroud, they couldn’t handle an actual ambush.”

“I would leave their pride where it is, Sergeant, it is already squarely in the dirt.” Replied the Captain, turning around to leave without addressing anyone in particular. “Luckily for them, it wasn’t the real thing, like you said, besides, we have to get back to Hawthorne, the East Shroud is a real powder keg right now, we can’t leave it unattended for long.”

The others nodded, turning to follow their Captain without a second word. Leaving the scouts bound in their ropes, they began to squirm before the others ran over to untie them. When they looked back to catch another gaze at the Red Otter team, they had vanished, only the smoke of the Captain’s cigar showed of their presence before. The Lieutenant said little, but directed the God’s Quiver squadron back to the barracks, before being summoned by the Adders Nest for a formal performance evaluation.


	2. Parliament Roost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The newly introduced Phoenix Strigodae regroup at a local safehouse to discuss their next mission.

The old mahogany door swung open, revealing an open, sparsely furnished barracks. The first through the door was the young Lalafell from earlier, her axe sitting on the crook of her shoulder. Strolling over to one of the benches, she put down the axe and started unpacking her field kit. The others poured in after, filling the open air barracks with heavy footfalls and clanking of armor. The captain was the last to enter, filling the room and causing a mixture of dust and ash to kick around. 

“How long are we gonna be holed up at base, testing out greenhorn God’s Quiver?” Asked the larger warrior from earlier, who had now taken off his disguise. He was a light haired hyur with red highlights, whose frame was bolstered quite well from the armor he carried. 

“It should only be a week or so, Naming.” replied the captain, “It’s not our only mission while we’re here though. And we’re now far enough out that we can talk without prying ears...” He took a moment to relight his cigar before continuing, giving the other members time to make themselves somewhat comfortable.

“We’re still taking these kinds of precautions this close to base, boss?” Asked the Lalafell, who had taken the time to adjust the straps on her armor while the others tried to dust off the safehouse as best as possible. “Or is this just standard protocol?”

“Unfortunately, it is not, Curly.” Replied the captain, who had taken a missive with a Red Otter seal on it from his jacket. “The Major sent this to us on our way back from Larkscall. It looks like there is a sleeper unit of Garleans that are hunting our men in the shroud by tapping into our communications. They’re very professional, and are able to strike deep into our territory without detection.” Jaster took another drag off of his cigar, blowing the smoke towards the rafters, as they had kept all of the windows closed. “We’ve been tasked with hunting them down and executing them, as well as finding out how they’re tapping into our communications. We’ve been allowed to use our own discretion, so we’re gonna send the Imperials a message. It’s time we started pushing these death squads back across the Wall.”

“Do we have any intel then, Captain?” Asked the female Miqo’te who had been accompanying Curly in the prior mission. “I can’t imagine that they have much of an idea if they’re telling us to do whatever we see fit. They know our reputation very well.” She wore the insignia of an Adder First Lieutenant, making her the group’s de facto second in command. Her name was Eunbi, an accomplished Bard within the city-state, and many consider an uncanny pick for the squadron’s secondary leadership position.

“I was in the same vein of thinking. Our fellow soldiers have been hunting birdmen for years now, and have blunted their minds against lesser game.” replied Captain Laenwyn. His eyes scanning over the report a few more times. “We need to stay on high alert, in order to keep them from catching wind of us as we find a way to strike. Our first priority will be understanding how they’re decrypting our communications and knocking out our recon teams. After that, we turn the forest on them, and make them regret they ever set foot outside of their godforsaken homeland.”

The group rang out in unison with enthusiasm, “Null Misericordia”!! Before returning to their equipment. This base would not serve them long, as their captain had a penchant for staying mobile. They decided to stay long enough to resurrect the old fireplace and cook something to eat before heading out, warming up some dried meats and nuts that they had found in the forest over the past few weeks. The cured fat crackled and fumed, filling the room with a warm aroma that they fought to keep in the lone barracks in the central shroud. 

They had brought some other foods with them, mostly berries and herbs that they could carry and eat fresh, which the captain mostly eaten by himself. This didn’t seem to bother the others, who helped themselves to the fried meat they had made over the fireplace. The Miqo’te stood alone at the other end of the building, gazing out the window, seemingly lost in his thoughts. The report sat beside him on an end table, alone with the smoldering remains of his cigar. 

Some time later, the Knights gathered in a circle on the floor of the barracks, the remains of their meals scattered among them as they conversed on the information they had just received. The second in command was the first to speak, taking some time to restring her bow and check the fletching on her arrows. “Do we have any leads on how they’re tapping our communications? I thought the Adders were supposed to be Eorzea’s finest in ways of military intelligence. Just how much are our men saying over linkshells anyhow? They would be fools to trust encryptions.”

“It seems to be happening within most of our avenues of communication, missives, safe drops, linkshells, pretty much everything that isn’t done in a back alley between two people. Which has been leading to a lot of our operatives falling to ambushes when trying to pass along information. If I had to make a guess, we have a mole problem, which doesn’t make us much better than Ul’dah at the present.” Replied the captain, who was sitting against the wall, enjoying a fresh cigar while pondering the mission. “The reason why we’ve received this mission is mostly due to the possibility of the mole, and that we’re a fresh squadron in the Otters. Our names have been stricken from formal record, and we’ve been mostly abroad as individuals up to this point. If anyone is going to be able to flush them out, it’s going to have to be us.”

“Right...that also sounds suspicious to me, are they suspecting someone that high up in command?” Asked Eunbi.

“I agree, which changes things drastically, don’t you think? We’re supposed to hunt Garleans, we can’t just hunt one of our own just the same, it would be a bad look.”

“Exactly, although, that can work to our advantage. They won’t be expecting a black ops unit to come after them. Usually this is the work of counter-intelligence. However, I’m going to stress that my contacts aren’t going to be able to help us if we slip up. We’re going straight into the fire on this one.”

“Are you sure you don’t know anyone trustworthy in the Alliance?” said the Monk seemingly out of nowhere. “The Twelveswood and Thanalan have been plagued with spies, but what of the Maelstrom?”  
“They have spies, sure, but they rarely ever stretch this far out, besides, Sohmah, the Maelstrom are essentially sanctioned Pirates, and we don’t have enough gil to buy what they’re selling.” replied Eunbi, who had finished testing her arrows by this point. She had moved on to help Curly with her armor, and showing her better ways of making sure her lashes were secure. “Our best bet at help with this are a handful of merchants that I’ve met in my travels, if there is a mole, then we have to assume that most of my contacts in the Adders Nest are suspects.”

“It sounds like I wouldn’t want to deal with them, anyway. Bureaucrats were never my cup of tea.”

“What is, really, besides meditation and general japery?” Replied Curly, who was sitting in front of Eunbi while the Miqo’te finished adjusting the younger member’s cuirass. “I’ve never seen you hold a conversation with anyone that spends more than a week’s pay on their wardrobe.”

“Modern politics is just too rich for my blood.” replied Sohmah.

“I couldn’t agree more,'' Naming chimed in, “Wouldn’t it make more sense to hunt them in the field first? They would likely go underground if we went straight to mole hunting.”

“It’s a tricky situation, sure, but we still have the element of surprise.” retorted the captain, who was staring up at the rafters at this point, his eyes racing around, seemingly chasing his own thoughts. “We’ll be starting by hunting down one of these strike teams, but first, we need to know how they tap our communication, so we know which of our scout teams or spies will be the most likely targets.” He took a drag off of his cigar before spouting a cloud into the rafters. “Curly, have you been studying the books Eunbi gave you? We’re gonna need someone to monitor the linkshell network and try and catch who is on the other side, that way, we can strike their source right away.”

Curly nodded, now fitted with her new set of heavy armor. She stood up, barely taller than Eunbi was while sitting down. “I’ve been messing with that old scanner that we found laying around in the supply depot the other week as well, I should be able to pick up something.”

“Well, it sounds like we have our plan then.” replied Jaster, not moving from his position on the side of the room. “As for the mole, when we’re in public, we keep our cover of being a training team for the God’s Quiver. Only talk of this when we’re certain of our security. Understood?”

The others nodded, rising slowly with their gear in tow. The sun had begun to set, and they needed to make their check in at the Adder’s Nest before the shift change. They made their way out of their small base of operations and into the Twelveswood, whose trailing winds carried somber tones upon them. If you listened carefully, it was almost as if the voices of the lost was carried with them.


	3. The Boughs

Chapter 3

The Boughs

A rolling stream of water was the solitary sound heard as Naming’s heavy steel boots moved silently through the large ravine that ran through the North Shroud. The brook that remained was the only source of clean water in the area, as the Ixali dam a few malms upstream blocked most of the river in order to process their illicit logging operations. The Knights made their way north slowly, giving Curly time to stop periodically to check the scanner attached to her waist. While it was not making any sounds, a radar scan was constantly circumventing the screen, showing a few small blips to the south, with a slightly larger blip to the northwest.

They soon came up at a descent in the ravine, making their previously inconspicuous journey come to a close. Naming held up a fist without looking back to the others, taking a moment to peer down, making the others follow his gaze to a solitary, dead Twin Adder scout. A solitary hole gaped in his chest, cleanly piercing both sides of his leather armor. Naming then slowly peered around the opening in the riverbed, his closed helm and shoulder plates coming out slightly from the rock cover they had been enjoying. The thicket ahead of them was completely empty, devoid of even the local birds and other small animals. 

A flash flickered from across the thicket, followed by a large *pang!* as Naming’s shoulder plate shattered, leaving a cloud of metal clanking across the riverbed. He immediately went back under cover, smoke still emanating from the impact area. He turned back to the others, taking a moment to steady his breath.

“Sniper, 300 yalms, in a crook in the bough of the large tree.” He said to the group, who nodded before looking back towards Jaster, who was looking off in thought. Curly was the first to break the silence, looking at Jaster from her own full helmet. 

“How should we do this? We could be pinned down here all day.” Her voice was quiet, but the tremors within showed despite her obvious constraint. 

“The lesson of the day, it seems…” Jaster began before turning back to the Lalafell, a small grin running across his lips. “Is to not use your heavy soldiers as a distraction.” He looked over to Sohmah, who was cracking his knuckles in anticipation. “Are you ready? The old Rustrock maneuver ought to do the trick. The rest of you, stay down until that sniper gets taken out.”

A dark crosshair trailed across the riverbank, focusing on the area where the flash of armor had been seen earlier. A new round had already been loaded, ready to fire at the next opportunity. The man’s breath steadied, before finally taking a deep breath and holding it, waiting patiently for his prey. Suddenly, a flash of movement came from the riverbank, moving horizontally across his line of vision. The scope jerked slightly, and another loud *bang!* rang out across the forest as the sabot rocketed out towards the riverbank. 

Moments before, Sohmah switched spots with Naming, taking a moment to channel his chakras in order to generate a wind aspected flow of energy that started to flow from his body. He began to hop a little in place, far enough back from the opening to keep himself covered. His movements were noticeably quicker, bouncing back and forth with the wind aiding him. After a moment, he crouched down, and nodded to Jaster, who was on the other side of the riverbank, charging a spell with his red mage focus. Unlike other mages, Red Mages carried a floating magical object that they used to rebound their aether and form spells. Jaster’s was adorned with large feathers, gold and ivory in color, floating next to his hip with a glowing green aura. 

The captain gave a nod to the sergeant, who then resumed his position, crouched on the riverbank. A few moments passed before Sohmah heard a soft, chirping, click noise from behind him. He then lunged forward from cover, his movements now being blurred with the help of his chakra enhancements. He covered the opening in a little more than a second, finding cover behind some trees that had grown on the side of the riverbank. Sohmah took cover beneath their hanging roots, taking time to move behind cover before jumping out again, making the sniper take valuable time to readjust before firing again. 

Jaster’s focus began to hum as Sohmah took off, gaining speed and growing louder as the older Miqo’te sank low into his stance. The air around him began to tremble visibly as he drew in a breath, tightening his lower body as the aether seemingly responded to him. With a twitch and a well placed veraero, he also flew from the riverbed. One of the four basic spells associated with Red Magic, Veraero operated very similarly to a traditional Conjurer’s Aero, but with more direct force, allowing the Miqo'te to propel himself a fair distance, and cause his focus to thrum and flash gently while darting around him.  
The flash caught the attention of the sniper, who quickly shuffled position in order to take aim at the new target. As he did so, the scope itself traced across an opening in the trees, giving off a slight glint in the sunlight. His cross-hairs began to focus on the Miqo’te who was flying through the air between a group of trees. As he went to squeeze the trigger, however, a heavy force hit his shoulder as a greatbow arrow lodged itself waist deep in the man’s body. A shift in the roots of the riverbed exposed Eunbi, who began to lower her bow and get back behind cover.

“Seven Hells, that was close.” said Jaster as he trotted back towards the others. Sohmah had also rejoined, albeit much faster than the captain. “Good shot, 1st Lieutenant. Curly, what’s the status on our target?” He nodded at Eunbi as well, who smiled and nodded in return.

“It hasn’t moved at all, it’s still a half a malm out though, as far as I can tell.” responded the Lalafell, who took the scanner off of her belt to check the device. With a few clicks, the scanner’s screen changed layout and overlay, allowing her to see a slew of numbers and other information. “They’re using a slightly outdated Twin Adder hailing frequency. No wonder why our men couldn’t figure it out, troops on the ground don’t get new frequencies for a week or so after they’re issued.”

“Good job, I’m glad to see your readings are coming along.” Jaster replied. Straightening out his stance to stretch a little bit. “Not to mention, no one else is going to fall prey to this trap they’ve set this close to base. Let’s keep our eyes out as we continue, I don’t expect it to get any easier as we get closer.”

The others nodded before readjusting their gear. Instead of taking time to take care of things immediately, they moved slightly out of the area before finding cover and taking full account of their situation. Naming’s shoulder plate caused a small amount of shrapnel to embed into his flesh, but Eunbi was able to take them out and patch him up before they started out again. The sundered shoulder plate was left behind, along with a few picked flowers from the thicket that was placed upon the soldier that had fallen to the ambush they had escaped.

Smoke rose from the smashed equipment, creeping through the arbor overhead as the Knights rummaged through the small recon base they had found where Curly’s small radar had led. Jaster, Curly, and Sohmah were picking the place apart while Eunbi applied a medical bandage to Naming, who had a fresh gash on his shoulder where his shoulder place had been before they embarked on the mission. The mixture of herbal oils and salves caused the Hyur to wince a bit as it seeped into the cut, raising his arm so that Eunbi would wrap it correctly before tying it down. 

“You’re always rushing ahead, you’re lucky Sohmah was there to defend you.” the second and command said tersely, giving him a worried, yet scolding look. “Need you go back to the White Wolves, so that you can do more patrols and relearn the importance of teamwork?” 

Naming shook his head before looking away from his piercing gaze. “Don’t worry, Ma’am, it won’t happen again.”  
“It better not. Besides, you’re nowhere done teaching Curly. Being on point means more than being the first into trouble, it’s also your responsibility to keep yourself and others out of it.” She raised back upright and walked away, leaving Naming to his thoughts before he could respond. Eunbi then walked over to Jaster, who was gathering the others as Curly started plugging information into her scanning device.

“Alright Curly, would you want to explain that one more time for everyone?” Jaster said as he lit a cigar, a clear sense of anxiety filled his face, causing his eyes to dart back and forth and his brow to furrow. 

“I went ahead and tried to create a backlog request for the radar station we found in the tunnel they were using as their communication outpost. It gives us a list of locations that the codes that this particular frequency has been used within the past seventy-two hours. This is how we’ve been able to locate missing scouts and the like in the wake of the Imperial spies making their way into the forest.” Curly began as she plugged a few more numbers in, before turning the scanner’s screen to the others for them to see. 

“This particular code has only two queries on its request log. Where we’re standing, and the Adder’s Nest.”

An eerie silence crept across the group as Naming walked into the conversation, holding his wounded arm with his other. 

“So...The Captain’s fears are true then?”  
Jaster nods, filling the area with smoke as he continuously dragged his cigar. His thoughts swirled in his mind like the smoke he exhaled, mirroring his wildly zig zagging eyes. After a few moments, he seemed to have composed himself, as his movements began to still and his breathing paced out more evenly. He reached for the linkshell in his ear, switching it to the frequency they were given to report to their higher ups at Red Otter command.

“Otter Command, this is Phoenix One.”  
“Copy Phoenix One, this is Otter Command, what’s your status?”

Jaster looked back towards his subordinates as he replied, stating himself clearly enough so that everyone who was listening could hear him.

“Phoenix One, going dark.”


	4. Shadows over the Twelveswood

A cascading torrent of rain enveloped the opening in the cave that Jaster peered out of. The rain had not stopped for hours, and it didn’t look like it was going to let up any time soon. The cave the group had found was a fair bit off of the known roads of the Northern Shroud, hidden well between a small hill and the decrepit outcroppings of a building that had long since lost its purpose. The captain stood at the opening of the cave next to a decently sized water pail for a few more moments before turning and retreating farther inside, where the rest of the team had already begun to set up camp for the night.

The rest of the Knights weren’t gathered in any particular way, seemingly lost in their own minds. Curly sat off by herself, tinkering with some other bits of equipment that she brought along besides the scanner. One piece in particular was a box of electronic equipment, which began to flicker to life as the lalafell messed around with it. After checking it over a few times, she reached inside and extended a large antennae from its depths. Once extended, the lights within the box flickered at a faster, more steady pace. The Lalafell turned to the captain with her brow furrowed, crossing her small arms across her chest.

“It’s as ready as I can make it, boss.” Huffed Curly, looking to the ground before continuing, “We’re gonna need some new parts if we want to make it fully functional, there are some things I cannot work around.”

“It’ll do the job for now, don’t worry. Let me know what you need, and I’ll get it.” Responded Jaster as he squatted down to Curly’s eye level. “Were you able to scramble the signal on our end at least?”

Curly nodded, taking a moment to meet eyes with her captain before diverting her gaze. “I am still trying how to figure out how to track a signal without giving away our position.”

“That’s fine, take your time, we’re gonna be here a while anyway.” Replied the captain, getting back up on his feet before patting the youngest among them on the head and returning to the others. Naming was laying down with his back against the wall of the cave, staring into the campfire they had made. He started talking, his tone quiet, the hyur’s eyes peering past the fire and into nothing.

“It’s our call then, but how are we going to snuff out someone in the Adder’s Nest? A group of killers is one thing, but this is something else altogether. Isn’t this above our pay grade?” said the third in command, not wavering his gaze from the fire.

“The rules have changed. These Garleans aren’t playing the same games they did back in Gyr Abania.” replied the captain. “They’re doing everything they can to hit us besides burning the forest itself down. Even then, I’m not convinced it won’t come to that if something isn’t done.”

“We’re just one squad, boss, we have to make sure we take care of our own, too. We have younger members that might get in over their heads.” Naming retorted. “We have to make minimizing casualties our highest priority.”

“Agreed.” Jaster stated, pondering over the campfire as well, “If the person in question is not in this cave, they are to be regarded as a potential suspect. And until further notice, if you cannot identify your target, the defense of this team takes precedent. We’ll have to find a way of finding something to help us engage at a distance… I suspect more of what happened today, I’ll see if I can get word to some friends of mine in the Immortal Flames.”

“What, or who, are we trailing first?” Eunbi chimed in from the other side of the campfire, leaving Sohmah and Curly alone in the back of the room to tinker with the computer. “Even if we take out their strike team, that mole is still going to be feeding information to the Twelfth Legion.” 

“We’re taking out the insider first, I’m not risking the rat catching wind of us and disappearing back over The Wall if we snuff out the wolves.” said Jaster, looking over to Eunbi, “Being a field team makes things complicated, especially if we get spotted in the city too often…We’re gonna have to keep the majority of our ops at night, and limit contact with the Twin Adder until the mole is neutralized.”

“You can leave the city ops to me then.” said a voice from farther within the cave as Sohmah turned his head around, “If we can evade Garleans in Ala Mhigo, I can evade them in our home turf.”

“Be wary, because it’s likely that it’s the informant’s home as well.” Jaster replied. “Eunbi will go with you, no solo acts until this is done.”

Sohmah shrugged before getting up, walking over to the fire in order to warm up. His younger frame shone in the firelight, showing his limber, defined muscles that were common among those trained as Fists of the Rhalgr. Once serving as the main military arm of the City-State of Ala Mhigo, actual members of the order were hard to find since its downfall. Most of them perished in the initial downfall, but others escaped into self exile or found their way to the desert city of Ul’dah. The flickering light illuminated the young man’s scars, twisting across his body from head to waist. 

“At the end of the day, they’re a traitor, and a dog.” seethed Sohmah, causing the others to look up at him, “Filth like that leaves a scent, he won’t escape us for long. There has to be a limited amount of people who have access to the equipment we found, and when we cross that with personnel at the Adder’s Nest, we’ll have a much easier time looking for leads.”

“Alright then, while Eunbi and Sohmah makes their way to Gridania to get us what we’ll need, the rest of us will make a journey to the Thanalan in order to pick up some supplies from our friends in the Flames.” Jaster said, flicking the ashes of his cigar into the flames, “We’re gonna need to take some time away in order to keep up our cover, as well as give us time away from the Twelveswood, taking any potential heat off of our backs.”

“Understood, where are we rendezvousing?” Eunbi said, looking over to Sohmah, “I recommend we stay out of the East shroud, as it’s the place we’re supposed to be. I’d rather keep us from prying eyes as much as possible.”

“Let’s make it the South Shroud then, I’m gonna call Buscarron’s Druthers, let’s all be back in three days.” Jaster replied.

The captain flicked his cigar into the fire, letting it burn for a moment before extinguishing the fire with the bucket of water they had left out by the entrance of the cave. They exchanged smiles and salutes alike before grouping up and making their way out of the cave and towards their respective destinations.


End file.
